Karl Rove: I never said Hillary had brain damage, but seriously, what’s up with her?

posted at 11:21 am on May 13, 2014 by Allahpundit

A follow-up to MKH’s item last night via the Corner. I realize there’s a strategy at work in introducing this subject, I’m just not sure what it is. Could be it’s as simple as Rove moving early to make sure Hillary’s health and age are fair game in 2016. That would go without saying for any male candidate, but there’s already some harrumphing in the media this morning over speculating about the First Woman President. Which only proves Rove’s implicit point: To make this issue safe for public debate, Republicans will have to work at it. He’s starting early.

Another theory: Maybe Rove knows, or thinks he knows, something about her health that we don’t. Every now and then, back in 2007-08, a vague allusion to problems on the horizon for John Edwards would bubble up online; a few people in the political class knew what was going on with him and occasionally a hint would trickle out. It’ll be harder to crack the conspiracy of silence within Hillaryworld about her health but maybe not impossible for someone with Rove’s connections. Could be he got a clue only recently about what happened, or it could be that he’s known for awhile and is keeping a lid on things until we get closer to the election, when the revelation will cause her more damage. In that case, today’s Fox interview is a shot across the bow of the Clintons, to remind Hillary while she’s making up her mind about running that the road ahead is bumpy. The goal in talking this up now is to discourage her before she jumps in.

The reason I don’t see the great strategic merit of it, though, is this: Realistically, what sort of malady could Hillary have, or have had, that would cost her lots of votes if the public knew about it? The problem with raising the possibility of a brain injury is that it’s easily “disproved”; every time she gives a routine interview, voters will take it as evidence that she’s fine and there’s nothing to worry about. The only issue that might give people pause is if she’s had a stroke, but even then, there are all sorts of ways Democrats can spin it. It’s “agist” to assume a stroke survivor can’t function at the highest levels; she’s gotten top-flight medical care and will continue to do so; any senior citizen who runs for president is also at risk of strokes, heart attacks, and so on, among them John McCain and Joe Biden. Remember, victimization will be a core part of Hillary’s campaign — victimization by Bill in the Lewinsky affair, victimization by Obama in thwarting her historic candidacy the first time, victimization by the “vast right-wing conspiracy” that’s accusing her of brain injury now. The cure for victimization is empowerment, and there’s an obvious way for voters to empower Hillary. Unless she’s hiding a health problem that’s truly severe (in which case, why would she be thinking of running?), medical issues will be folded into the victimization narrative.

Update: A-yup.

After all the nasty ugly lies Harry Reid has spouted, I gotta watch the media lose its sh*t over Rove? WHO HAS POWER. #Unbiased#objective

She was in the hospital for 30 days. That’s incredibly long these days. And she seemed to be wearing different glasses when she got out, which appeared to be similar to those worn by people recovering from brain injuries that affected their sight.

The questions are legitimate. Whether or not we can ever get a straight answer is anybody’s guess, though.

victimization by the “vast right-wing conspiracy” that’s accusing her of brain injury now.

Given that Rove is part of the same establishment as the Clintons, I can’t ignore the possibility that he’s actually doing her a favor (paid now or in the future) and setting her up to be the “sympathetic victim.”

She looks like someone who is 67, who has given birth to and raised a child, and who has had, to say the least, a rough marriage. Add on top of that fifteen years in a business where eating rich foods and drinking substantial amounts of liquor is often de rigeur, combined with a lifestyle that (let’s face it) is hardly what most people would consider “physical”.

I would be amused to see just how well she stands up under campaign conditions…

The clot is in the transverse sinus, a large vein that goes around the inner wall of the skull at the back of the head. Her clot is on the right side; there is a similar sinus on the left.

The condition can cause permanent brain damage, coma or death if not detected and treated in time. In Clinton’s case, however, it appears to have caused few if any symptoms and to be responding to treatment with blood-thinning drugs.

Almost three weeks ago, Clinton, who is 65, reportedly became severely dehydrated with an intestinal infection. She fainted, fell and hit her head, suffering a concussion. Whether those events are related to the blood clot is unknown, with experts offering divergent opinions.

Cerebral venous thrombosis — the general term for Clinton’s condition — is rare. It occurs in about four out of every million adults per year. It is somewhat more common in children. Head trauma, pregnancy, cancer, brain infection, autoimmune diseases and inborn clotting abnormalities are all predisposing factors. Some experts believe severe dehydration may be as well.

Clinton has had at least one previous blood clot, in her right leg in 1998. She was treated with blood-thinning drugs for several months. In her memoir she attributed the clot to “my nonstop flying around the country.” Airplane flights lasting longer than six hours appear to be a slight risk factor for developing leg clots, known as deep venous thromboses (DVTs).

From Health and Science in 2012

I’ll say it again…this is very serious issue for Hillary and the country if she’s put into office. She is prone to clot. It’s abnormal and she’s done it twice that’s been documented. It was debilitating for her. If she’s not well managed it could kill her.

I remember with great admiration how in these very HA pages you took Reid, Polosi, Bill Maher… oh, lots of people… sternly to task for their outlandish and vague accusations against conservatives.

Why, I remember how furious you were with that crazy “Romney gave a woman cancer” meme during the 2012 campaign, not to mention how angry you were over Reid’s crazy “paid no taxes in the last 10 years” accusation.

Oh, wait…

No one remembers that. No one remembers ANY substantive critisms you made about your fellow travelers.

But I am positive you will state firmly how you always criticize those on your side… elsewhere.

By the way, about Rove- not a successful campaign strategist. If he thinks raising questions about Hill’s brain function is a good idea, its probably not. (oh my gosh- did I just criticize someone on MY side of the aisle???)

If Hillary has any sort of brain damage, she ain’t running. There’s no way she’d last an entire year out on the campaign trail. Even if she wins the nomination by coronation(which is doubtful), she still has to go out there for rallies and speeches during the general election. And that will be a difficult task for a 69 year-old with any sort of medical issues, particularly if they’re related in any way to the brain.

Not sure what Rove’s reasoning here is for bringing this up. I suspect he has more information than he’s revealing, though, and that there’s a strategy behind his revelation. This may be the tip of the iceberg and we’ll just have to wait and see how this plays out.

I will say this: I don’t think Rove would’ve said what he said unless he knows there is something to this….

I don’t think she is as strong of a candidate as the Dems make her out to be. They are gonna be surprised.

terryannonline on May 13, 2014 at 11:44 AM

Attacking a woman as “brain dead” has never been a smart political strategy anywhere on earth.
And speaking of surprises, you should have seen Rove’s face when Fox declared Ohio for Obama.
I’m no Hillary fan but there hasn’t been one single poll where a republican is winning against her nationally.
All the competitive polls I have seen of her are when she is in competition with other democrats.

I don’t think it’s out of bounds, at all, to ask questions about the health of a presidential candidate.

That said, to diagnose someone contrary to what their doctors have said, contrary to what the person has said, purely for transparent political reasons.. which is what Rove is doing.. that’s not a high level of political discourse. It’s on the level of calling someone a pedophile – oh wait, rove did that too.

Doesn’t matter how it “plays.” It’s entirely legitimate for discussion. Good grief, remember how much they talked about McCain possibly dropping dead in office (and the hated Palin taking over)?

Anyway, this is something LIVs may actually even notice, since health issues are something everyone cares about and deals with in their own lives.

Good for Rove. Let’s get this out there early. Besides, if it is true as some have suspected that 1) Hillary knows she has a serious health problem, and 2) she’s already decided not to run because of it, this could help get that conversation started. Let’s face it, her potential supporters are going to start getting nervous if she doesn’t come clean with THEM.

If nothing else, it reminds people that these health issues all happened at the same time she was supposed to be testifying about Benghazi.

Not sure what Rove’s reasoning here is for bringing this up. I suspect he has more information than he’s revealing, though, and that there’s a strategy behind his revelation. This may be the tip of the iceberg and we’ll just have to wait and see how this plays out.

I will say this: I don’t think Rove would’ve said what he said unless he knows there is something to this….

Bob Davis on May 13, 2014 at 11:52 AM

Based on the clip above, it sounds like Rove is just speculating. He may not be wrong, but I don’t think he has any sort of inside info. I’ve said all along though that Hillary’s age will be an issue in the 2016 campaign. She’ll be 69 years old. She looks awful. And if she serves 2 terms as most Presidents do, she’ll be 77 by the time she’s wrapping things up.

And BTW, I think that should also be a consideration with Bubba. It’s no secret that a big selling point with Hillary’s candidacy will be returning her husband to the White House. Well he’s older than she is and he had a major bypass procedure 10 years ago. What if something happens to him while she’s in office?

Osteoporosis could be why she is losing height. Her health doesn’t really matter. They can find a double for her to appear in some cases. Her handlers would be really running things like they do for Obummer. Remember how they managed FDR’s appearances. It’s a lot easier now.

Seriously, thirty days in the hospital in 2012 is an incredibly long time. The only person I know in recent years who was in the hospital that long (and who wasn’t also sadly at the end of their life) is someone who was fighting a very serious staph infection/MRSA and almost didn’t make it.

If the former SoS/potential 2016 candidate was a Republican of the same age and with the same health history, the media would be all over it.

She was in the hospital for 30 days. That’s incredibly long these days. And she seemed to be wearing different glasses when she got out, which appeared to be similar to those worn by people recovering from brain injuries that affected their sight.

The questions are legitimate. Whether or not we can ever get a straight answer is anybody’s guess, though.

Adjoran on May 13, 2014 at 11:28 AM

Indeed. When I first heard he had said this I wondered what the hell he was thinking, but it’s clear it was much more serious than they let on initially.

Seriously, thirty days in the hospital in 2012 is an incredibly long time. The only person I know in recent years who was in the hospital that long (and who wasn’t also sadly at the end of their life) is someone who was fighting a very serious staph infection/MRSA and almost didn’t make it.

If the former SoS/potential 2016 candidate was a Republican of the same age and with the same health history, the media would be all over it.

Missy on May 13, 2014 at 12:17 PM

No kidding, I’ve known people who had open heart surgery who weren’t in the hospital that long.

Seriously, thirty days in the hospital in 2012 is an incredibly long time. The only person I know in recent years who was in the hospital that long (and who wasn’t also sadly at the end of their life) is someone who was fighting a very serious staph infection/MRSA and almost didn’t make it.

The 30 days were probably deliberately planned to keep Hillary out of the spotlight until the Benghazi issue had cooled off, and she could resign as Secretary of State out of the limelight.

But if she does have issues with fainting, they could haunt her during a long campaign at the age of 69. What if she fell off a stage a la Bob Dole in 1996?

Also, Republicans can replay her “3 AM phone call ad”, and ask the voters whether she answered it for Benghazi, and could she answer it again five years later?

The 30 days were probably deliberately planned to keep Hillary out of the spotlight until the Benghazi issue had cooled off, and she could resign as Secretary of State out of the limelight.

I think this is likely the case, too. Which is why Rove is shrewd to bring it up so as to smoke it out.

If they say “she really wasn’t that sick” it brings up the Benghazi question and why the public was misled; if they insist she really did need the time to recover – well, then she must have been a very sick woman indeed, and the public deserves to know about serious health issues in advance of an election.

I love what Karl is doing here. Democrats have proved that if we repeat even the most ludicrous lie over and over, it is going to be the norm (case in point: Harry Reid and Romney’s returns). Karl is using the same technique. Hope more republican insiders pile on.